After a second consecutive trip to the Calder Cup Playoffs was ended by an unexpected early exit, the Rochester Americans returned to the ice on Monday to begin their 2019 Training Camp as a group of 28 skaters and three goaltenders at the Blue Cross Arena in the Flower City.
Third-year Amerks head coach Chris Taylor along with assistant coaches Gord Dineen and Toby Petersen, Cincinnati Cyclones head coach Matt Thomas and assistant coach Jason Payne, all put the group for their first official skate of the 2019-20 season.
Veteran AtmosphereIn addition to Redmond and team captain Kevin Porter, who were both given the day off after spending time with the Buffalo Sabres Training Camp last week, also returning to Rochester for another season are veteran defensemen Andrew MacWilliam and Nathan Paetsch.
Newcomers and Core Hit The Ice
Over the summer, Frank Hora, Shaw Boomhower, Justin Baudry and John Wiitala all signed their first AHL contracts with Rochester while Pascal Aquin, Michael Houser, Eric Cornel, Taylor Leier, Dalton Smith, Taylor Leier, Porter and MacWilliam re-signed one-year deals to remain within the organization.
“We have not only good players in the locker room, but we have good people and good leaders,” Taylor said. “We did not want to blow everything up after not getting the results we wanted last season, but we wanted the core to remain intact. “
“We appreciate the leaders and a happy they are back,” continued Taylor.
Hello Hockey Season, Goodbye Summer
With the Sabres having their final three exhibition games over the course of this week, several players who appeared with Rochester last season are eyeing to make the Opening Night rosters.
“For me, Day One was finding my way around and getting to know everyone,” said goaltender Andrew Hammond after his first official practice as an Amerk. “Personally, it went as well as I could have hoped.”
“Over the summer, I did a lot of research on the team and organization. This is an organization this is trying to turn the corner – both here and in Buffalo – and I think we can build off the last two successful seasons.”
“Stepping on the ice again is always great,” said Taylor. “During the summer it’s dead here, there is no ice and it’s warm. The guys had a lot of energy and it was a great start in the right direction.”
Sabres Systems in Rochester
Taylor again stressed the importance of organizational synergy, something he’s been trying to instill ever since taking the reins as head coach prior to the 2017-18 season. This would again be a focal point, especially in terms of development heading into a new season.
“There are some things we will be changing from the past,” explained Taylor when talking about the coaching styles of new Sabres head coach Ralph Krueger that will be used by Taylor and his staff. “It is important for the players to be used to the same systems for when they get called up or sent down. It is vital to us.”
“We are going to be more aggressive in the neutral zone, more so than we have done in the past,” Taylor said. “It helps everyone skating and the flow of the game. We are going to have a good-skating team this season and that is going to help our offense.”
C.J. looks to build off first 2 seasons
Entering his third professional season in the organization, forward C.J. Smith, who re-signed a two-year deal with the Sabres in the offseason, was among the 14 players reassigned to Rochester over the weekend. While starting the season in Rochester wasn’t in his plans, he now has a better understanding of what he’ll have to do in order to earn a return trip back to Buffalo.
“Nothing much has changed from my standpoint,” admitted Smith, when talking about the reassignment. “Any time it happens, it is totally out of my control but the only thing I can control is my attitude. There is no reason to sulk on it, but I can only just keep working.”
“He is big-time player for us,” Taylor said. “He really produced last season and even in his first season, I thought he played a huge role for us. We are expecting him to do the same thing this year, too.”
Training Camp Notes
Among the 31 players on Rochester’s opening day roster, 23 played at least one game in the American Hockey League while at least 19 wore the red, white and blue at some point last season.
Preseason Begins This Week
The Amerks open the preseason with a matchup against the Syracuse Crunch at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 26 at the Gene Polisseni Center on the campus of Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). The 4,300-seat Gene Polisseni Center is home to the RIT Men’s and Women’s NCAA Division I hockey teams.
Rochester concludes the preseason with a pair of matchups against the Toronto Marlies with the first game slated for a 7 p.m. puck drop on Friday, Sept. 27 at LECOM Harborcenter in downtown Buffalo. The second half of the home-and-home with the Marlies is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 29 as the action shifts north of the border for a rematch at Ray Twinney Complex in Toronto at 4 p.m.
All tickets for the game at RIT will be General Admission and will be available for purchase for just $5 at the Polisseni Center Box Office or online at www.amerks.com/rit. RIT students can purchase tickets for $3 while all Amerks and RIT Season Ticket Members will receive complimentary tickets to the game. Please contact the Amerks Main Office at 585-454-5335 to request your tickets.
Tickets for the game at Harborcenter are available for $10 each for General Admission seating with free tickets also available for all Amerks and Buffalo Sabres Season Ticket Members. Ticket cans can be purchased at www.amerks.com/harborcenter or at the KeyBank Center Box Office.
Practice schedule for remainder of the week
The practice schedule for the remainder of the week is as follows (times and locations subject to change):
Wednesday, Sept. 25
Practice at 10:30 a.m. (Blue Cross Arena)
Thursday, Sept. 26
Morning Skate at 10 a.m. (Blue Cross Arena)
Non-Playing Group Practice Session at 11 a.m.
Home Preseason Game vs. Syracuse Crunch at 7:05 p.m. (Gene Polisseni Center at RIT)
Friday, Sept. 29
Morning Skate at 10 a.m. (Blue Cross Arena)
Non-Playing Group Practice Session at 11 a.m.
Home Preseason Game vs. Toronto Marlies at 7:05 p.m. (LECOM Harborcenter)
Saturday, Sept. 30
Practice at 12 a.m. (Blue Cross Arena)
Sunday, Sept. 31
Away Preseason Game at Toronto Marlies at 4 p.m. (Ray Twinney Complex)
Home Opener set for Friday, Oct. 4
Rochester begins its 64th American Hockey League season at home on Friday, Oct. 4 against the Syracuse Crunch at the Blue Cross Arena.
The Amerks return a core group of veterans for the 2019-20 campaign, which includes last season’s team MVP and All-Star Zach Redmond, who is taking part in his third stint in the Flower City.